Louisiana has the highest average premium in the country at $2,699 a year, according a study by Insure.com. It's nearly triple the country's lowest -- Maine -- at $934.

Some are now beginning to blame that first place statistic on another first place position Louisiana holds: the civil trial jury threshold.

14 states, including Louisiana, have a jury threshold which is a set dollar amount. If a person gets into a car accident and files a claim that is above the threshold, they get a trial by a jury of their peers. Anything below the threshold and a judge will hear the case.

Louisiana's jury threshold is set at $50,000. Maryland is second at $15,000 and Rhode Island and Hawaii tie for third at $5,000. Louisiana's threshold is 28 times the national average.

Insure.com cites the threshold as a large reason insurance premiums are so high in Louisiana.

"We're looking for every way we can to help Louisiana resident's bottom line," said State Rep. Ray Garofalo, R-Meraux.

Garofalo says he is working on legislation that would reduce the threshold to a level similar to other states. However, it's likely to meet staunch opposition in the legislature.

When the state legislature raised the threshold to its current level in 1993, it was done so to decrease the number of cases that go before a jury and thus ease the stress on the court system. Jury trials are more expensive, lengthy and create a bigger overall burden on the court system.

"Suggesting that a lower threshold for a judge trial, which takes less time and less money, will somehow reduce rates?," said Gibby Andry, a personal injury attorney. "Actually, it's quite the opposite."

Organizations like the Louisiana District Judge's Association have routinely opposed threshold-lowering legislation in the past. The groups say Louisiana's judicial system does not have the capacity to handle a lower threshold.

"The LDJA has consistently expressed that lowering the civil jury trial threshold would cause disruption and difficulty across the state in the docketing and management of jury trials," said Judge Raymond Childress, president of the LDJA. "Further, lowering those thresholds will result in escalating costs to the litigants and severe time management issues."

However, what hasn't been explained is why other states are able to have lower thresholds and handle more civil jury cases.

"How do all the states that have a zero trial threshold manage their courts," said Garofalo. "Why are their dockets not flooded, why are their residents able to get a jury trial with a lower threshold than the residents of the State of Louisiana."

Garofalo said that in addition to the threshold impacting insurance rates, the threshold has ethical implications.

Louisiana elects, not appoints, judges. A WDSU I-Team review of dozens of campaign finance filings found many of the people contributing to the judge's campaigns are attorneys and many specialize in personal injury practice.

A lower threshold means judges hearing more cases in front of the very people who contribute to their campaign.

"There certainly is a perception that in some districts and in some cases, it matters," said Dane Ciolino, a legal ethics expert at Loyola Law School.

However, Ciolino points out there is no empirical evidence to support judges siding with campaign contributing attorneys. He also believes that lowering the jury threshold would be a negative for Louisiana despite the possible benefit of lowering auto insurance.

"It is much more cumbersome to try a case to a jury, rather than a judge," said Ciolino.

INSURANCE, YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER LIVING ELSEWHERE. LOUISIANA HAS THE HIGHEST AVERAGE PREMIUM IN THE COUNTRY AT TWO-THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE DOLLARS A YEAR. THAT'S NEARLY TRIPLE THE COUNTRY'S LOWEST RATE, IN THE STATE OF MAINE, WHICH IS JUST 934 DOLLARS. MANY PEOPLE MIGHT THINK THE COST OF AUTO INSURANCE HAS TO DO WITH HIGH ACCIDENT RATES AND THEFTS, AND THEY DO... BUT THE WDSU I-TEAM FOUND SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT LOUISIANA'S JUDICIAL SYSTEM IS ALSO DRIVING UP YOUR RATES. WDSU NEWS REPORTER BLAKE HANSON IS HERE WITH HIS I-TEAM INVESTIGATION. IN FOURTEEN STATES -- INCLUDING LOUISIANA -- THERE'S SOMETHING CALLED A JURY THRESHOLD -- IT'S A DOLLAR AMOUNT. IF YOU GET INTO A WRECK AND FILE A CLAIM THAT COSTS MORE THAN THAT THRESHOLD -- YOU GET A TRIAL BY JURY. ANYTHING LESS AND A JUDGE WILL HEAR THE CASE. THE REASON IT'S INTERESTING IS NOT BECAUSE LOUISIANA HAS A THRESHOLD...IT'S BECAUSE IT HAS A THRESHOLD 28 TIMES HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. AND SOME SAY IT ISN'T HELPING WITH THE HIGH INSURANCE RATES. IN A DAY WHEN JUST ABOUT EVERYONE IS PINCHING PENNIES... LOUISIANA DRIVERS HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO CUT BACK ON CAR INSURANCE. we're looking for every way we can to help louisiana resident's bottom line REPUBLICAN STATE REPRESENTATIVE RAY GAROFALO SAYS THAT'S IN PART WHY HE STARTED LOOKING INTO LOUISIANA'S JURY THRESHOLD. IT'S 50-THOUSAND DOLLARS IN LOUISIANA -- WHICH STANDS OUT WHEN YOU REALIZE THE NEXT HIGHEST MARYLAND IS AT 15-THOUSAND. THIRD PLACE IS A TIE BETWEEN HAWAII AND RHODE ISLAND AT FIVE GRAND. this issue affects everyone's life... everyone's life. because at some point everybody is paying for insurance THEN-GOVERNOR EDWIN EDWARDS SIGNED THE CURRENT THRESHOLD INTO LAW IN 1993. BEFORE THAT IT WAS 20-THOUSAND DOLLARS. SUPPORTERS OF RAISING THE THRESHOLD SAID IT WOULD EASE THE WORKLOAD ON THE COURTS ...SINCE JURY TRIALS TAKE MORE TIME AND MONEY THAN IF A JUDGE WERE HEARING THE CASE. THAT'S STILL TODAY A MAIN ARGUMENT FOR KEEPING IT AT 50-THOUSAND. suggesting that a lower threshold for a judge trial -- which takes less time and less money will somehow reduce the rates, actually its quite the opposite GIBBY ANDRY IS A PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY. AND BELIEVES THE BURDEN ON TAXPAYERS WILL GO UP -- NOT DOWN -- IF THE THRESHOLD IS LOWERED. what will happen, i'm convinced, if they reduce the value even more is that the number of jury trials will double or triple AND THE SIMILAR ARGUMENT IS MADE BY THE JUDGES... THE LOUISIANA DISTRICT JUDGES ASSOCIATION DECLINED AN INTERVIEW BUT RELEASED A STATEMENT TO THE WDSU I-TEAM SAYING IN PART "the LDJA has consistently expressed that lowering the civil jury trial threshold would cause disruption and difficulty across the state in the docketing and management of jury trials. Further, lowering those thresholds will result in escalating costs to the litigants and severe time management issues." BUT IT STILL BEGS MANY QUESTIONS... INCLUDING: "WHY DO LOWER THRESHOLDS WORK IN OTHER STATES?" how do all the states that have a zero trial threshold manage their courts. why are their dockets not flooded, why are their residents able to get a jury trial with a lower threshold than the residents of the state of louisiana ALSO AT QUESTION IS THE ETHICS OF A HIGH JURY THRESHOLD. LOUISIANA'S SYSTEM OF ELECTING... NOT APPOINTING JUDGES ...MEANS THOSE JUDGES CAMPAIGN. AN I-TEAM REVIEW OF DOZENS OF CAMPAIGN RECORDS FOUND THAT MOST CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTORS IN JUDGE RACES ARE ATTORNEYS... MANY OF WHICH ADVERTISE PERSONAL INJURY REPRESENTATION. MEANING LOUISIANA'S SYSTEM LEADS TO JUDGES HEARING MANY CIVIL CASES.. IN WHICH ONE OF THE ATTORNEYS IS A PERSON WHO FINANCED THEIR CAMPAIGN. there certainly is a perception that in some districts and in some cases, it matters LEGAL ETHICS EXPERT DANE CIOLINO SAYS THERE'S NO EVIDENCE TO BACK THAT JUDGES ARE SWAYED TOWARD THE LOCAL ATTORNEYS...BUT IT JUST DOESN'T LOOK GOOD. it certainly is not supported by any empirical evidence but there is that perception in some jurisdictions BUT HE TOO THINKS LOWERING THE THRESHOLD ISN'T THE ANSWER TO LOWERING CONSUMER COSTS. it is much more cumbersome to try a case to a jury than a judge you've gotta go through jury selection, you've gotta feed the jurors lunch you've gotta do jury charges you've got to do the administration of the case BOTTOM LINE IS -- IT'S ARGUMENT BETWEEN LOWER INSURANCE RATES ...AND A POTENTIALLY BACKLOGGED COURT SYSTEM. STILL THERE'S LOTS OF QUESTIONS NO ONE COULD ANSWER FOR US...INCLUDING WHY LOWER THRESHOLDS WORK ELSEWHERE. GAROFALO SAYS HE INTENDS TO INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO LOWER THE THRESHOLD IN THE UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE SESSION.. THE LAST TIME SIMILAR LEGISLATION WAS INTRODUCED...IT NEVER MADE IT OUT OF COMMITTEE. BACK TO YOU CAMILLE. INSURE-DOT-COM SAYS LOUISIANA DRIVERS ALSO FILE MORE BODILY INJURY CLAIMS THAN DRIVERS IN OTHER STATES -- WHICH ALSO CONTRIBUTES TO THE HIGH RATES.

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